The first half of the 20th century in China was dominated by continual revolutionary upheaval, which originated from the political and economic pressures of imperialism that had devastated the country in the 19th century. As a result of nationalist support, a revolution in 1911 brought the last great dynasty, the Qing, to an end. Dr. Sun Yatsen proclaimed a Chinese republic shortly after in 1912.
The Republic
-didn't establish a stable government
-was instead corrupted through the rule of warlords
-warlords established themselves as provincial or regional rulers
-caused political and economic disintegration
-using unequal treaties, foreign powers remained largely in control of China's economy, prevented its economic development, and effectively limited Chinese sovereignty.
Chinese Nationalism
-following the Great War, Chinese nationalists hoped that the Peace Conference in Paris would work to restore full Chinese sovereignty and end the unequal treaties
-however, it was voted instead to allow Japanese interference in China
-resulted in the May Fourth Movement, which was a wave of protests against Japanese expansion and foreign imperialism
-many became attracted to Marxism and Leninism and led to establishment of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) in 1921
-Mao Zedong, an active CCP member, advocated women's equality and other socialist ideas like freedom of marriage and anti-foot-binding
Sun Yatsen
-most prominent nationalist leader was Sun Yatsen, who supported ideas of democracy and nationalism
-Yatsen wanted to bring entire country under the control of his Nationalist People's Party, or Guomindang
-Yatsen wanted to bring entire country under the control of his Nationalist People's Party, or Guomindang
-the two parties formed an alliance against foreigners under the help of the Soviet Union, who helped establish the foundations of a new political system
Civil War
-leadership of the Guomindang given to Jiang Jieshi after death of Sun Yatsen in 1925
-Jiang led the Northern Expedition to reunify the country and was successful
-he then turned on hid communist allies and brought the alliance to a bloody end
-he declared China a unified and sovereign state under an official Guomindang central government
-communist forces retreated to southeast China to reorganize
-China was not very affected by Great Depression
-3 major problems: limited control over entire country, Japanese aggression, and threat of communist revolution
-in 1934-35, communist forces (CCP) retreated to Yan'an on the Long March (6,215 miles)
-Mao Zedong- leader of CCP and blended Marxism and
Leninism to create Maoism, which highly
supported the peasant-class
Imperial And Imperialist Japan
-Japan emerged from the Great War as a world power
-joined League of Nations as one of the Big Five
-entered into a series of agreements trying to improve relations among countries with conflicting interests in Asia and the Pacific
-Japan signed a treaty with the U.S guaranteeing China's integrity
-Japanese economy boosted by war: sold munitions to Allies
-Economy slumped during the Great Depression
-Political conflict emerged between internationalists, supporters of western-style capitalism, and nationalists, hostile to foreign influences
The Mukden Incident
-In Manchuria, 1931
-Chinese unification threatened Japanese interests in Manchuria
-Japanese troops destroyed tracks on Japanese railroad, claimed Chinese attack
-Incident became pretext for Japanese attack against China
-Military took all Manchuria by 1932, without civilian authority
-League of Nations called for withdrawal of Japanese troops and restoration by leaving the League
-The new militant Japanese helped provoke a new global conflagration
-New ideologies and old conflicts complicated the process of independence and national unification in India and China
-Global economic crisis led to lessening of European imperial influence
-And promoted an industrialized Japan to exert its own imperial rule on Asia
China and Japan (1008-1014)
China's Search for Order
The first half of the 20th century in China was dominated by continual revolutionary upheaval, which originated from the political and economic pressures of imperialism that had devastated the country in the 19th century. As a result of nationalist support, a revolution in 1911 brought the last great dynasty, the Qing, to an end. Dr. Sun Yatsen proclaimed a Chinese republic shortly after in 1912.The Republic
-didn't establish a stable government
-was instead corrupted through the rule of warlords
-warlords established themselves as provincial or regional rulers
-caused political and economic disintegration
-using unequal treaties, foreign powers remained largely in control of China's economy, prevented its economic development, and effectively limited Chinese sovereignty.
Chinese Nationalism
-following the Great War, Chinese nationalists hoped that the Peace Conference in Paris would work to restore full Chinese sovereignty and end the unequal treaties
-however, it was voted instead to allow Japanese interference in China
-resulted in the May Fourth Movement, which was a wave of protests against Japanese expansion and foreign imperialism
-many became attracted to Marxism and Leninism and led to establishment of CCP (Chinese Communist Party) in 1921
-Mao Zedong, an active CCP member, advocated women's equality and other socialist ideas like freedom of marriage and anti-foot-binding
Sun Yatsen
-most prominent nationalist leader was Sun Yatsen, who supported ideas of democracy and nationalism
-Yatsen wanted to bring entire country under the control of his Nationalist People's Party, or Guomindang
-Yatsen wanted to bring entire country under the control of his Nationalist People's Party, or Guomindang
-the two parties formed an alliance against foreigners under the help of the Soviet Union, who helped establish the foundations of a new political system
Civil War
-leadership of the Guomindang given to Jiang Jieshi after death of Sun Yatsen in 1925-Jiang led the Northern Expedition to reunify the country and was successful
-he then turned on hid communist allies and brought the alliance to a bloody end
-he declared China a unified and sovereign state under an official Guomindang central government
-communist forces retreated to southeast China to reorganize
-China was not very affected by Great Depression
-3 major problems: limited control over entire country, Japanese aggression, and threat of communist revolution
-in 1934-35, communist forces (CCP) retreated to Yan'an on the Long March (6,215 miles)
-Mao Zedong- leader of CCP and blended Marxism and
Leninism to create Maoism, which highly
supported the peasant-classImperial And Imperialist Japan
-Japan emerged from the Great War as a world power-joined League of Nations as one of the Big Five
-entered into a series of agreements trying to improve relations among countries with conflicting interests in Asia and the Pacific
-Japan signed a treaty with the U.S guaranteeing China's integrity
-Japanese economy boosted by war: sold munitions to Allies
-Economy slumped during the Great Depression
-Political conflict emerged between internationalists, supporters of western-style capitalism, and nationalists, hostile to foreign influences
The Mukden Incident
-In Manchuria, 1931
-Chinese unification threatened Japanese interests in Manchuria
-Japanese troops destroyed tracks on Japanese railroad, claimed Chinese attack
-Incident became pretext for Japanese attack against China
-Military took all Manchuria by 1932, without civilian authority
-League of Nations called for withdrawal of Japanese troops and restoration by leaving the League
-The new militant Japanese helped provoke a new global conflagration
-New ideologies and old conflicts complicated the process of independence and national unification in India and China
-Global economic crisis led to lessening of European imperial influence
-And promoted an industrialized Japan to exert its own imperial rule on Asia